Atriplex coronata
Atriplex nudicaulis
crownscale, wedgescale
Baltic saltbush, nude orach
simple or branched, erect or ascending, terete or subangular.
alternate, subsessile or proximal short petiolate;
blade ascending, oblong, oblong-ovate, or lanceolate to elliptic, 5–40 × 2–10 mm, thin, base acute to obtuse, margin entire, apex acute to acuminate.
alternate or the proximalmost opposite, blade green, oblong, lanceolate, or ovate, proximal leaves lanceolate to rhombic-ovate, 10–30 × 5–13 mm, base rounded or hastately to cuneately narrowed to petiole, margin nearly always entire (some hastate), apex acute or rounded, rarely obtuse, glabrous on both sides.
of both sexes in small axillary glomerules, 5-merous.
in rather loose spiciform, axillary or terminal inflorescences.
5-merous.
enclosed by paired bracteoles.
light brown to amber, 1–1.5 mm.
small, not or only moderately dimorphic: black, convex, 1.5–2 mm wide, lustrous, or light brown or olivaceous, compressed, 2.5–3 mm wide, duller, with subbasal, spreading radicle.
bracteoles almost sessile, broadly cuneate, 2–5 × (2–)2.5–5 mm, united to summit, truncate at summit, sides smooth or obscurely tuberculate.
bracteoles green, midvein never impressed, sessile or with stipes 0.5–1.5 mm, broadly ovate to rhombic-ovate, 3–5 mm, distinct nearly to base, base rounded or more often hastate-cuneate, margin entire or sparingly toothed, apex acute or acuminate, faces smooth.
= 36.
= 18.
Atriplex coronata
Atriplex nudicaulis
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
Although placed within the Atriplex argentea species complex by P. C. Standley (1916), this taxon appears more nearly allied to A. cordulata, differing mainly in leaf shape, round-ovate or deltoid-ovate to elliptic or lanceolate (not ovate to cordate-ovate), and markedly tuberculate faces of the fruiting bracteoles.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
M. M. Iljin, (1936) definitely placed Atriplex praecox within the synonymy of A. nudicaulis. The following note is included in Flora Europaea (P. Aellen 1964b): “In the Baltic and arctic Russia many subspecies of, or species related to 19 [i.e., A. longipes Dreger] have been described. Most of these are sympatric and are probably more correctly treated as variants of this group.” Listed are both A. nudicaulis and A. praecox, followed by short descriptions. Both have stalked bracteoles circa 5–6 mm, with the former being 3-veined and with lateral reticulum, the latter being 1-veined. If they are the same, then nudicaulis is the earliest name.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Stems ± erect; body of fruiting bracteoles ± semicircular in profile, compressed or ± spheric; tubercles dense; marginal teeth ± equal. | var. notatior |
1. Stems decumbent to ascending; body of fruiting bracteoles approaching circular or flabellate in profile, ± compressed; tubercles usually few; marginal teeth unequal | → 2 |
2. Fruiting bracteoles 2-4 mm; basal branches and leaves typically opposite. | var. vallicola |
2. Fruiting bracteoles (2-)4-5 mm; basal branches and leaves typically alternate | var. coronata |
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
